


Taking the Lead

by coolbreezemage



Series: Dimiashe Week 2020 [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Cooking, Dimiashe Week 2020, M/M, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Teamwork
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:20:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23728192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolbreezemage/pseuds/coolbreezemage
Summary: The Professor assigns Ashe and Dimitri to kitchen duty. Dimitri insists Ashe take the lead because he's far more experienced with cooking, but how is Ashe supposed to tell the Prince of Faerghus what to do?For Dimiashe Week Prompt #1: Teamwork
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert
Series: Dimiashe Week 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1709107
Comments: 3
Kudos: 52





	Taking the Lead

The roster had to be wrong. But Ashe glanced around at the others gathered at the week’s tasks pinned to the message board and none of them seemed surprised or confused, so it had to be right. _Stables: Sylvain and Ingrid._ No surprise there, both of them were skilled with horses, and they worked well together when they weren’t teasing each other. _Grounds and Gardens: Mercedes and Dedue._ Both people who would enjoy the quiet of the outdoors. _Patrols: Felix and Annette_. Also sensible. The two of them on their own were easy to distract, but when they worked together anyone would be hard-pressed to sneak anything past them. But then, there at the bottom, _Kitchens: Dimitri and Ashe_. There was no way the Professor would have assigned him to work alongside the Prince, him, the only one of them without a noble title or any claim to even speak to those so far above him…

But he knew Byleth had a mischievous side. Nobody without a sense of humor would speak so plainly to Seteth, would surprise students from all three classes with such remarkably specific gifts, would pretend to know nothing of the world and then ask cutting questions that challenged everything Ashe had been told. If Byleth had assigned these tasks, it was because there was something to learn from it. Or perhaps he just found the arrangement amusing…

Annette elbowed Ashe, bringing him out of his imaginings. “Lucky!” she complained, though there was nothing unkind in it. “I wanted to cook this week.”

“Last time you were assigned kitchen duty,” Felix put in, sounding distinctly unimpressed, “you nearly set the whole place on fire.”

Annette pouted. “That was one mistake, Felix! I can do better. I promise I’ll pay attention next time!” She screwed up her face in deep consideration. “Maybe I can come up with a spell to tell me when something’s done, so I don’t forget it in the oven again…”

“It’s called a clock,” Sylvain interjected. “What?” he added, all innocence, when Annette glared at him. Mercedes giggled. 

“Mercie!” Annette protested.

“I’m sorry, Annie, but you do have a habit of forgetting things.” 

Annette sighed. “I’m sure whatever you make will be really good, Ashe! That chicken with the honey sauce…” She grinned. “Oooh, that was one of my favorites!” 

Ashe couldn’t help but blush at the praise. “It’s not a hard dish! I could teach you if you wanted.”

“I’d love that! I’ll make you some cookies in exchange, okay?”

Ashe risked a glance at Dimitri, who was also studying the assignment sheet with something like unease in his expression. Sylvain gave him a rather smug look. “Hey, Your Highness, looks like you won’t be able to tell me off this time, because I’m working with Ingrid.” Ashe had heard Sylvain complaining about Dimitri’s scolding. He hoped he’d never have to feel that for himself. 

That got a smile, a faint one. “And you expect Ingrid to go any easier on you?” Dimitri asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Ingrid laughed. “You’ll have to watch out, I won’t let you slack off. At least there’ll be something good to eat when we’re done.”

“Well, we should get started!” Mercedes declared. She took Dedue’s hand. “We can begin with the courtyard, and move over to the greenhouse when we’re done.”

The others left one by one towards training or studies or work.

“Ashe,” Dimitri called. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen at the second bell. Does that work?”

“Yes! That’s good,” Ashe said, though he would have agreed to anything Dimitri said. 

Finally, he was alone in the classroom. He gave the posting one last look, as if it might have changed when he glanced away, and sighed. What was he going to do? And would it be enough?

Ashe checked in with the head chef to make sure there wasn’t anything in the week’s plans that would surprise him. He didn’t really need to, he knew the entire menu by now and there was nothing truly daunting on it, but he wanted to be prepared. Today’s dinner was composed of things Ashe had assisted with a few times in the past: a lightly-spiced vegetable and lamb stew, roasted vegetables, cheese bread, and for a treat afterwards, butter cookies with berry jam.

Sylvain often complained of how plain the food was here. And perhaps it was nothing compared to the memories of his father’s dishes or the treats that graced Lonato’s tables during festivals, but Ashe found it grand beyond his boldest wishes. The honor and respect due Garreg Mach’s ancient name and the merchants who flocked to her gates from all corners of the world meant the cellars and pantries were stocked with a steady supply of good, hearty ingredients and expensive foreign spices. 

And that was before he considered the magical methods of food preservation he had never heard of before coming here. Meat aged to delicious perfection in minutes under a spell, frozen desserts, fruits kept fresh long out of season. It was wonderful, all of it, and he though he might never be used to it. 

By the time the hour rang out from the cathedral bells, Ashe was pacing back and forth, checking for the fourth time that everything was laid out properly for the recipe. Meat, vegetables, salt, spices, oil, knives, bowls all set out on the counters, fire well-fed, pans clean and ready….

“Am I late?” Dimitri’s voice came from the doorway. Ashe’s thoughts stuttered to a halt, a spatula hanging in the air over the counter as his arms refused to move. “I apologize, I was on the training grounds and I must have lost track of time.”

Finally Ashe found his voice again. “It’s all right! You’re not late! I got here early.” This wasn’t going to go well at all if he couldn’t even bring himself to _talk_ to Dimitri. 

“Good, good.” Dimitri stepped up beside him. He had taken off his cape and tied an apron over his uniform. The effect was strangely adorable. Ashe caught himself staring and turned back to his work. 

“What do you need me to do?” Dimitri asked. “I’ll warn you that I don’t have a lot of experience in the kitchen. But I can follow a recipe well enough.”

What had the Professor been thinking? Did he expect Ashe to give orders? To the _prince of Faerghus?_

“Er, the recipe is over here…” Ashe pushed the worn sheet of paper towards Dimitri, narrowly avoiding dragging it through a splash of oil in the process. “I’m working on the base for the stew, uh, unless you wanted to do that! There’s a lot of ingredients to prepare.”

Dimitri studied the paper intently. “I’ll start preparations for the vegetables, then. How does that sound?”

“That’s good!” Ashe said. “I’ve made that one a few times before. The sauce tastes best if it cooks down a bit into more of a glaze.” 

Dimitri nodded. “Then I’ll start it right away.”

_You should start by cutting and salting the vegetables, or you’ll risk burning the sauce_ , Ashe thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to correct Dimitri. They would be able to make it work. Or so he hoped...

Ashe forced himself to breathe steadily as he went back to his work, far too aware of Dimitri beside him. He knew how to do this, he wouldn’t make a mess of it in front of someone he admired more than he could say. Slowly, the scents of steam and spices and the steady thunk of knives and rattle of spoons soothed him into the rhythms of cooking. He liked this, creating something good to share with other people.

He’d browned the first batch of meat and cut most of the potatoes into small pieces when he turned around just in time to see Dimitri pick up a jar of cinnamon bark and move towards the pot with it.

“Ah, Your Highness, that, er, that’s not the right spice!” Ashe winced. He shouldn’t have said anything. It wasn’t his place to correct royalty. He should just let Dimitri do what he wished and find a way to work with it…

“Oh?” Dimitri paused, thankfully before pouring any in. He peered at the jar. “Is there something wrong with this one? I apologize, I really am no good at this.” He smiled and shook his head. “Dedue is too polite to tell me when we cook together, but I know when he’s thinking it.”

“Oh, uh,” How was he supposed to respond to Dimitri calling himself anything less than brilliant? “It’s just that that one’s too sweet. It won’t taste right. You should use the chili pepper instead.” He passed Dimitri the correct jar. “But not too much!”

Dimitri’s hands slowed over the lid. “I don’t want to spoil your work. I don’t have a good sense for spices.”

Ashe floundered, more tense than ever. He couldn’t command his prince, that would be utterly inappropriate, but Dimitri seemed convinced he needed the guidance… 

“I could cut things,” Dimitri suggested, saving him from finding an answer that wasn’t coming. “I believe I could do that without causing too much damage.”

“That would be good!” Ashe agreed, and went back to his own work, moving so quickly he nearly dropped the knife before he got settled again. 

There were certainly a lot of things that still needed to be chopped up. Dimitri made quick work of a basket of turnips and started in on scrubbing and peeling the rest of the things to be roasted. 

All was going well, and then Ashe smelled a wisp of smoke, heard the distinct sound of something boiling dry. “The sauce!” he exclaimed. He grabbed the handle in a rag and pulled it off the stove; at the bottom, the sauce - or what was left of it - was just beginning to blacken and smoke. The flavor was beyond saving; they’d have to start a new batch.

Dimitri winced. “I’m sorry, that was my fault. I should have been paying more attention to it.” He sighed. “That makes the second time I’ve nearly made a waste of this. I don’t know why the Professor thought this was a good idea. But he must have had a reason for it.”

Ashe shook his head. “No, I should have told you to start the vegetables first so you didn’t need to watch two things at once.” In the few months he’d spent at the Academy, he’d learned how to deal with little mistakes, how to keep things going because at the end of it this would feed most of the school. But it was different when he was working with Dimitri...

“Hmm…” Dimitri sounded thoughtful, which usually didn’t portent good things for Ashe’s nerves. When he looked up, Dimitri was smiling at him.

“Your Highness?”

Dimitri held out his hands. “You’re the experienced one here, Ashe. Will you tell me what to do next?”

In all his life, Ashe had never expected to find himself here. If he’d read it in a book, he’d think it nearly too fanciful to be believable. An orphan thief in lessons alongside the crown prince? Maybe teaching him to cook wasn’t such a leap after all that. 

Ashe took a deep breath, glanced at the recipe he knew by heart. “You- you should finish cutting the vegetables, then start another batch of sauce. Get a new pot and put that one in the basin to soak so it’s easier to clean later.”

Dimitri smiled. “I’ve got it. Thank you.”

Somehow, everything was easier after that. It didn’t silence all of Ashe’s fretting, not by a long shot, but as they worked through the recipes together, with Ashe answering the occasional question from Dimitri, it was almost enough to forget who he was talking to. For a few hours, Ashe could imagine them as just two students at their duties, preparing a meal for their classmates and friends. 

The head cook checked in a few times as they worked. To Ashe’s relief, she didn’t comment on the burned sauce or how unevenly Dimitri’s vegetables were coming out. He glanced to her and received an approving nod in return. His heart lifted. This was going to work.

He took a spoon from the drawer and tasted the stew. Very good so far, but it was missing something… He had an idea, but he couldn’t do it alone. 

“Your Highness, Could you…” He hesitated.

“What is it?” 

“I want to add something to this. Could you bring a slab of bacon from the cellar?”

“Of course.” Dimitri put down his spoon. “Can you watch this for me?” At Ashe’s nod, he set off into the back rooms.

He came back shortly after with a package of meat over one shoulder, heaved it onto the table, and at Ashe’s instruction started slicing it into slivers. After a few minutes he passed a heaping plate back to Ashe to scrape into the pot, where it gave off a wonderful smell as it started to sizzle.

They were just pulling the trays of little cheese breads out of the ovens when the dinner bells rang and the students started coming into the dining hall in twos and threes, fresh from training or studying. By the time they set everything out and handed it over to the monks for serving, the Blue Lions table was crowded with their friends. Ashe took a seat next to Annette and Mercedes and Dimitri set his plate down next to Dedue. 

Mercedes gave them a little wave hello, but Annette was too busy arguing about something to do with reason magic with Sylvain and Felix to notice he was there for several moments.

“Ashe! Your Highness! When did you get here?”

“Just a minute ago,” Ashe told her. “What do you think of the stew?”

“I like it!” she said, digging her spoon in to chase a piece of carrot.

“It’s delicious!” Ingrid agreed, with her mouth full, already reaching for a second round of bread. “Good work, Your Highness.”

Dimitri shook his head. “Most of the credit belongs to Ashe. But I am glad I could make myself useful.”

Sylvain made a noise of approval. “Maybe you’re not such a culinary disaster after all.” He eyed Ashe. “You know, when we were kids, Dimitri here once tried to eat the food from Ingrid’s dollhouse-”

Now that was an adorable image. Ashe tried to hide his laugh without much success.

“Sylvain!” Dimitri protested. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” 

Sylvain snorted. “You were so upset when you figured out it was made of wood. And then there was the time-”

“You don’t need to tell me that!” Ashe added hastily, hoping to spare Dimitri the embarrassment of whatever it was Sylvain wanted to share. Even if he _was_ curious. But it served only to make Ingrid and Sylvain laugh more.

Dedue reached for one of the rolls and passed the basket to Sylvain. “You have both done well,” he said. Ashe felt his chest heat with pride. He didn’t miss the flicker of relief in Dimitri’s face at the change in topic.

“Do you have any suggestions for next time?” he asked. “I mean, we’ll be cooking something different tomorrow, but…”

Dedue thought. “More pepper, perhaps, but this is very enjoyable.” And that was high praise, he knew well, from someone who wouldn’t let anyone so much as touch a pan before they knew what they were doing.

When Ashe turned around, he found Dimitri watching him. His subtle smile set Ashe’s face burning.

“Will you teach me more tomorrow?” Dimitri asked. 

“Yes! I’d love to.” The idea was no longer quite so daunting. Now that he knew they could get through it without his anxiety or Dimitri’s inexperience leading them into disaster, he was looking forward to it.


End file.
